Follow us

Thomas Frear

Research Fellow

Share

Thomas Frear was a Research Fellow at the European Leadership Network (ELN).

Thomas’ work focused on confidence and security building measures in the Euro-Atlantic Area, as well as European and Russian security more broadly. Thomas is the ELN coordinator for the Track 2 Diplomatic initiative the Task Force on Cooperation in Greater Europe, and is an active member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network, where he sits on the governing troika and co-chairs the security working group. Thomas also maintains a speciality in the politics of unrecognised states.

Prior to the ELN Thomas has held posts at the Russian Institute of Oriental Studies and within the British Parliament. Thomas holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Kent and a Master’s Degree in International Relations in Eurasia from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

Thomas’ work has been covered by the media around the world and he is regularly asked to comment on issues of European and Russian security.

Content by Thomas Frear

The current Russia-NATO deterrence relationship is unstable, and dangerously so. The authors argue that the interplay between the deterrence postures operated by both Russia and NATO has not been sufficiently appreciated during their development – deterrence cannot be effective if your target does not understand your actions.

Thomas Frear highlights the poorly understood escalatory potential of modern cyber operations; arguing that the continued integration of the cyber domain with the conventional and nuclear domains has substantially increased the possibility of miscalculation and unintended escalation.